


Roots

by for_the_love_of_wolves



Series: Elements [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Domestic, Fluff, Gardens & Gardening, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:27:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22620103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_the_love_of_wolves/pseuds/for_the_love_of_wolves
Summary: Fitz and Hunter have a gardening competition. Kind of. (Written for Team Earth's Elements February. Week One: Earth)
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse/Jemma Simmons
Series: Elements [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627423
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	Roots

The cottage has a little garden.

Hunter has never had his own garden and he has very little knowledge about anything that has to do with plants, but he’s still sure, that it isn’t supposed to look like _this_. So … chaotic. There’s barely a spot of earth visible. Everywhere Hunter looks are green leaves, thorny scrub, brittle branches and moss. In the midst of it is a big apple tree with a split trunk. Even the thin path they walk on is overgrown.

Jemma scrunches her nose. “This is a mess.”

Bobbi nods. “The poor strawberries aren’t getting any air.”

Hunter frowns. Strawberries? He doesn’t even see strawberry plants.

“Well,” Fitz says quietly. “We knew there would be some work in and around the cottage. The pre-owner told us.” His eyes light up and Hunter can’t help but feeling relieved. They all have been excited about this … change, lately. About leaving Shield and moving into a cottage together. But he knows Fitz has been the most anxious among the four of them. It’s not only that Fitz deals badly with changes in general. He also still struggles with the aftermath of what happened the last few years. Hunter remembers every night he has stayed with Fitz because of a nightmare. He remembers every time Fitz was miserable, not even because of the things haunting him, but more because he feared he would be a bother to them.

“Why would anyone want to live with me,” he told Hunter in a particularly bad night, dangerously close to crying. “I’m just a nuisance. I’m making everyone around me sad.”

Hunter hugged him close then, trying to show him, to tell him, that his mind was trying to betray him. That he was being human.

They all have their scars and some of them will never fade. 

“This change will help him. It will help us,” Bobbi told him once, when they were alone in her bunk. “We’re all be there. We won’t leave again. And he will learn with the time, that some things stay.”

Hunter hopes she’ll be right about this. Now, standing in their own first garden, he at least feels a good warm spark of hope. 

Jemma locks arms with Fitz and smiles at him. “I always wanted a bird table.”

Fitz returns her smile. “I’m going to build you one.”

* * *

The cottage is a lot of work in the first days. When they are finally finished unpacking boxes and moving furniture until no one has any more reason to bicker, they move to working on the building itself. Fitz almost falls off the roof while replacing some tiles, barely able to hold on to a pipe which creaks in protest, until Hunter comes running and catches him. Only one day after this fright, Hunter steps into a nail which causes them a horrible night at the hospital. It takes ages until someone takes a look at his foot and they all fall asleep, cuddled together the best they can sitting on uncomfortable plastic chairs.

Hunter has to take some time off working because of his foot. When he grumpily sips the hot chocolate Jemma made him, Fitz comes in, breathing heavily, but looking incredibly happy. He’s wearing some old baggy pants and Hunter stares at them in bewilderment. They are completely covered in earth. Actually, the earth is everywhere on Fitz. On his hands, under his fingernails, even on his forehead.

“What did you do?” Hunter asks.

Fitz beams – there’s no other word for the smile spreading on his face, making his blue eyes sparkle and Hunter’s heart jump – and wipes his sweaty face with a hand, leaving a dirty trail on his cheek. “I worked in the garden. I managed to pull out a lot of weed and I’m halfway done with the bird thing.”

“Fitz!” Jemma calls out when she comes into the room too, her eyes widening. “You’re leaving earth everywhere on the floor!”

“Oh.” Fitz looks behind him and swallows. “Sorry. I’m going to clean up in a second. Just let me wash my hands.”

Jemma smiles at him. “It’s alright. I’m glad you’re having fun with the garden. You’re a great gardener.” She kisses Fitz’s cheek although it’s dirty and Hunter makes a face. “I’m sure I’m great too,” he mumbles.

Fitz grins. “Maybe you should prove it,” he says. It sounds teasing and challenging at the same time.

Hunter nods and puts his mug down a bit too loud. “Why not,” he says, straightening up.

Bobbi, who has been making herself a smoothie – something horrible green with cucumber, Hunter knows - rolls her eyes and sighs. “Oh boys, please. You don’t need to have a competition about this. We know how this would end. Hunter, you may not be a good gardener, but you are a decent mechanic when it comes to cars. Stick to your strengths, honey.”

“Bob, you don’t even know if I’m not a good gardener – wait, just a _decent_ mechanic?!” Hunter gasps. This actually hurts. He pouts. Which makes Fitz’s eyes soften. “You’re amazing,” he tells Hunter and goes to him to give him a kiss on the nose. He smells earthy. “I didn’t want to mess with you.”

Hunter chuckles, but shakes his head. “No, no. Now it’s too late, love. You called for this.”

Fitz’s lips twitch. “Alright. The challenge is on.”

Jemma and Bobbi share an amused and fond glance.

* * *

“Okay. So, this is my side of the garden, and this is yours,” Hunter says, gesturing. 

Fitz puts his hands on his hips. “Alright. You’re sure you want to have the part with the poisonous plants?”

Hunter’s eyes widen. He stares at the mess in his garden and swallows nervously. After a silent moment, Fitz snorts and starts to laugh. The noise makes Hunter feel warm inside immediately. “Just kidding. There’s nothing dangerous here,” Fitz says, patting Hunter's back. “Have fun with … whatever you’re planning to do.”

“Oh, just wait. I have some amazing ideas,” Hunter tells him. Fitz smiles and turns to continue working on something with little stones and fresh bought flowers that looks really nice. Hunter goes to “his” part of the garden and sits on a stone, enjoying feeling the sun on his face. 

Of course, Hunter is just kidding. He has no ideas at all. And actually, he doesn’t want to have the better garden. He doesn’t want to be the best gardener around this cottage in the middle of nowhere. He wants to watch Fitz doing amazing things with his hands. He wants to listen to Fitz humming softly under his breath, maybe not even noticing he does it. He wants to see Fitz like this. Happy. Careless. Wants to see him at peace.

It makes Hunter happy.

When he watches Fitz now, he knows this was the right thing to do. It was the right kind of change. He knows they are blooming in each other’s presence like flowers in the sun. He feels like it can only get better from now on. They can evolve like the garden does under Fitz’s gentle hands.

After a while, Fitz turns around to Hunter, a flower in his hands. “You’re not getting any work done,” he says, frowning. 

Hunter smiles. “I know.”

Fitz blinks at him for a moment, looking a bit confused. But finally, he shrugs and continues working.

Hunter watches him some more. Eventually, he starts to pull out some weed. He has to start somewhere.


End file.
